Johnny Brady (Meath, Fianna Fail)

In 1974, when I was elected to Meath County Council, part of the Kells area in north Meath was included in the constituency of Cavan. As I said, it helped to elect the great former Tánaiste, John Wilson, who held several ministerial posts, including education, and whose nephew is a Member of the Upper House. The other part of the Kells area was included in the constituency of Monaghan, before Monaghan and Cavan were joined together to form a single five-seat constituency. This area of north Meath, which included part of Nobber and Drumcondra and extended to Carlanstown helped the present Ceann Comhairle to be elected in the constituency of Monaghan at that time.

That area later reverted to the Meath constituency. One also had a situation whereby the Coole area of north Westmeath was included in the Meath constituency. It helped my great friend, colleague and councillor, Michael Lynch, with whom I served for 30 years, to be elected to this House a number of times. Finally, we reverted to our own five seat constituency from which I was honoured to be elected in 1997. Unfortunately, a change has come which will divide my area in two. Of the five Deputies elected in 2002, I am the only one who has been badly affected. However, although I have been, perhaps I am fortunate to be getting the area which will be lost by my great friend and colleague, Deputy Cassidy. The Coole district, including Castlepollard, Fore, Delvin, Collinstown, Clonmellon and part of Ratharney will be incorporated into the Meath West constituency.

I pay tribute to Deputy Cassidy and sympathise with him for losing the Coole electoral area of County Westmeath. As we know, Deputy Cassidy has been a very hard-working Deputy for the people of the county and constituency of Westmeath. He was the first Deputy to be elected from north Westmeath since 1965. It is sad that having been finally elected in 2002, this change affecting him comes along. It is not easy and I wish him well. I know that because of the work he has done for the people of Westmeath and will continue to do for the people of Longford-Westmeath, he will be successful in that new constituency. I hope I will be as successful with that part of County Westmeath which will come into the new Meath West constituency.

As I stated earlier, I thank the people of the old Meath constituency, particularly those from areas which I served for 30 years in the old Kells district such as Moynalty, Tierworker, Newcastle, Nobber, Drumconrath, Meathill, Ballinaclose, Kilmainhamwood and Kilbeg who have been very good to me. Those people have also been very good to me since I was elected to the Dáil in 1997. Other areas of the Navan district have also been affected. It is sad to lose these areas and the great people in the Slane area of east Meath who have been very good to me. I thank them for their support over the previous two general elections.

I am badly affected by the changes brought about by the constituency boundary commission but Deputy Cassidy and Deputy Ellis, who has seen his county of Leitrim divided in two, are in a worse situation. I know that the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, has been affected by the changes. However, we must move on and there will be plenty of challenges in the new constituencies.

Another aspect of the constituency changes with which I was disappointed was that the members of the constituency boundary commission who made these decisions, honourable and highly thought of as they may be, unfortunately probably do not know the landscape of parts of these constituencies. There is a very small Gaeltacht area in Meath that consists of Baile Ghib and Rath Cairn. It is unfortunate that these two areas have been divided under the new constituency changes. Both areas are in the Kells electoral area but Baile Ghib is now assigned to the Meath East constituency while Rath Cairn will be assigned to the Meath West constituency. My colleague, Deputy Noel Dempsey, has looked after Rath Cairn over recent years and that area will remain in our constituency for the moment.

I am very disappointed and saddened for the people of Baile Ghib because I represented that area for the last eight years and it was an area that needed considerable attention and help. Many measures are under way in Baile Ghib to promote the Irish language. I thank the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív, who has been very helpful to me in my efforts to help and promote the Irish language in the Baile Ghib area. It is sad that the people in Baile Ghib must now go into a new constituency and I hope that my colleagues, including Deputy Mary Wallace, will represent Baile Ghib and help its people because it is a growing area that needs assistance. I hope that Baile Ghib's representatives will continue to fight to see that it gets the same attention as other Gaeltacht areas.

We may be disappointed and saddened by these constituency changes but we must move on. We must move into our new constituencies and help the people living in them. The situation could have been worse if the new M3 had divided our constituency. That would have finished me off for all time. Fortunately, the route that would have divided Kells from where I live was not chosen. That would have been a disaster.

Meath is a changing constituency and county. The M3 will bring enormous benefits to the county. I hope construction of the road will receive permission to proceed because the unfortunate people who travel this route every day face long commutes to Dublin. I am familiar with this. My colleague, Deputy McEntee, spoke on the radio this morning while caught in traffic about how he had never realised how long the commute could be. When I first took my seat in the Dáil in 1997, I could leave my house at 8.30 a.m. and arrive at Leinster House at 9.45 a.m. Now I must leave the house at 7.30 a.m. to arrive at Leinster House at 9.45 a.m. This is an example of the change that has taken place in Meath.

The county now faces the major change brought about by its division into two constituencies. I thank the people I represented in the old Meath constituency who will move to the new Meath East constituency for their support. I hope I will be returned to this House in the new Meath West constituency in the next general election in 2007. While I am always ready to help the people in rural north Meath, I am also willing, should I be re-elected, to use my considerable experience to assist the people of the highly populated areas of Ashbourne or Dunboyne with their problems.

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